Ingredients

1 9-by-9-inch sheet frozen puff pastry
2 ounces Parmesan or Asiago cheese, grated (1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Thaw pastry on the counter for 10 minutes. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
Place the puff pastry on a sheet of parchment and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the cheese and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Place a sheet of parchment over the cheese and, using a rolling pin, press the cheese into the dough by gently rolling the pin back and forth. Without removing the parchment, carefully flip the dough over, cheese-side down. Remove the top layer of parchment and sprinkle with the remaining cheese, salt and pepper. Cover the pastry with the parchment. Measure the piece of dough and continue to roll it out, if necessary, to form a 10 1/2-inch square.
Remove the top sheet of parchment and, using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 14 3/4-inch-wide strips. Gently twist each strip of dough and transfer it to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing the strips about 1 inch apart.
Bake immediately until fully puffed and golden brown, about 10 minutes, reversing the positions of the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Remove the straws to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Directions

Where things can go wrong: It's best to work with partially thawed pastry. If it's completely thawed, you will likely have trouble twisting it into the desired shape.